Never Ever Dull
With every conversation, I always seem to end with "Never a dull moment"....our lives are rich, complex, and beautiful stories. Join me in laughing about everyday things and appreciating life-bumpy roads and all.
Ever since I was little, I loved doing crafty things. I remember being excited to get one of those paint-by-numbers kits. I still can see the adorable brown and white spotted puppy that was positioned on the cover of the boxed kit, displaying the completed project. So cute! I couldn't wait to get started. But it was much harder than I expected. My paint brush didn't fit into the tiny spaces and my paint merged into places it wasn't intended to go. I got frustrated because my final picture looked nothing like the box cover.
For many years, I ran my life similar to a paint-by-numbers kit. Dabbing my brush only into certain spaces and being sure to keep my life in the correct and safe places. I desired to have the perfect picture in the end and I thought by being very careful, I would end up with a result that would be admired by all. But my life took a huge turn and the life lessons I learned shaped and molded my kids and me...forever! One significant scene from my life played out in Tennessee. My attorney encouraged me to have someone check our family computers. I resisted but finally gave in. I drove into a parking lot and stepped toward the black sports car with dark tinted windows. I was motioned to get inside. The man who had removed the insides of my computers greeted me. My eyes had to be as big as saucers as I took in his car. Loaded with guns and devices. He was a well known guy in the area and dealt with high profile cases. He had to be careful and cautious. He pulled out a huge thick binder and passed it over to my trembling hands. His words still echo in my brain: "48 hours of continuous printing"..."sick to my stomach"..."had to stop printing"..."alias names"..."over 3000 pictures"..."safely secured now in three states". He shifted uncomfortably and looked down. "I'm sorry. Really sorry." My paint-by-numbers life came to a devastating halt. My life was now a big mess. I remember processing through it all and jokingly shared: My life is a mess, but I'm a beautiful mess. I started out trying to keep life tidy in that paint-by-numbers deal but life could not be contained in those little spaces. It simply spilled over to other areas. I began to realize that my messy life was really beautiful. It is real, honest, sincere, and humble. My kids and I handle challenging situations with a whole different attitude. We look at people and don't judge, trying to understand their lives and be encouraging as we interact with others. Life can be so hard and messy, but life can be beautiful even in that mess.
1 Comment
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorFun-loving mom to 4 kids and 1 big puppy. Fifth grade teacher of amazing little people who have never ending things to share with me. Love to discuss Jesus, diy projects, and life. Trying to keep it simple: Love Jesus, love people. Archives
December 2021
Categories |